Thursday, June 16, 2016

Another good reason for a Democratic-controlled US Senate: A ban on assault weapons ... by gimleteye

Voters will have a chance this November to turn the tables on the rank hypocrisy of the NRA and its surrogates in the US Congress. Assault weaponry in the hands of citizens has nothing to do with Second Amendment rights. To argue otherwise is just another talking point in the Culture Wars invented by demagogues to spread fear and anxiety through gullible voters. And the killing goes on unabated by NRA ideologues, in numbers that are an indictment of rotten logic.

This chart from the New York Times yesterday is a reminder that the United States is an outlier nation when it comes to gun violence. Our violence with guns is off the chart compared to other western nations. This version of American Exceptionalism is indefensible.

From the New York Times: "Compare These Gun Death Rates: The U.S. Is in a Different World"

"The idea that we have a computer database and you just type in a serial number and it pops out some purchaser's name is a myth," (ATF Special Agent) Houser says. "They (ATF) don't have that searchable, central database because the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby have successfully blocked that through Congress. They argue that a database of gun transactions would be a dangerous step toward a national gun registry."

The single federal agency with a paper filing system is the one charged with tracking gun sales. Here is another 2011 segment on "Fresh Air". The only nation where that makes sense is the United States under Republican leadership.

It is quite possible that Democrats can control the Senate. With Trump leading the Republican ticket, rather than throw their vote away, many will vote for Sec. Clinton. When they come, people need to vote the straight Democratic ticket. And if Sec. Clinton has really long coattails, maybe the House too!!!!!!

Interesting. Given that dynamic, she needs to pull a skeleton legislative team together to structure some legislative frameworks so things can pass quickly. Another skeleton team needs to start working on all these judicial appointments. Things can move quickly if they plan ahead.

You are so right. She can hit the ground running and things will start moving in the country very quickly. The other very important thing is she won't have that big of a learning curve, so there should not be that much fumbly jumbly, and things can move out smoothly and effectively. But the planning has to happen now, it can't wait until after the election. We have to work in the future, although we exist in the present, otherwise when the future comes nothing will be there.